Leeanne Enoch defends flying business class on 10-day $125k taxpayer-funded trip

Leeanne Enoch has used a cost of living press conference to defend flying business class and staying in luxury hotel rooms on a 10-day $126,000 trip paid for by Queensland taxpayers. READ THE FULL REPORT

Leeanne Enoch during a press conference in Brisbane. Picture: Tertius Pickard

Under-fire minister Leeanne Enoch has used a cost-of-living press conference to declare flying business-class and staying in luxury hotel rooms during a $126,000 taxpayer-funded trip is a normal part of ministerial work.

It was revealed this month the Treaty, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Communities minister and three staff spent $126,000 on a 10-day study tour across North America in October to view museums and deliver a speech.

The Courier-Mail can also reveal Queenslanders paid $1124 for passports — including a $474 priority processing fee — for Ms Enoch and her chief of staff Felix Gibson.

Ms Enoch joined Premier Steven Miles on Thursday to announce assistance for schools to feed students and upgrade facilities as part of the June 11 budget’s major cost of living relief.

She did not explain why it was necessary to fly business class across North America during the trip, but said it was within the rules.

“That is a normal part of every minister’s job,” she said.

Ten days of travel also included domestic business class flights and stays at boutique or luxury New York, Alberta and Vancouver hotels

Ms Enoch defended the trip, declaring it was approved by former Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and used to “look at … Aboriginal affairs in other countries”.

“And to of course look for opportunities, particularly around repatriation … we know that there are multiple museums across the world that hold items, sometimes sacred,” she said.

“We want to open up those dialogues to be able to ensure that they’re returned to the rightful places.”

A spokesman for Ms Enoch later outlined the triumphs of her 10-day trip – which did not feature in any of her press releases or Facebook posts.

“The minister’s meeting with the Museum of Vancouver has resulted directly in the necessary preparation work for repatriating Queensland First Nations artefacts held by the Canadian museum,” the spokesman said.

“Since this meeting, the Queensland Museum has been working in partnership with the Museum of Vancouver to identify additional Queensland artefacts in their holdings, and to negotiate the return of as many artefacts as possible to Queensland.”

Opposition cost of living spokeswoman Deb Frecklington labelled Ms Enoch’s explanation “embarrassing”.

“This is further evidence this third-term Labor Government is out of touch and doesn’t take Queensland’s cost of living crisis seriously.

“First it was Steven Miles flying two luxury jets to the same locations, and now we’ve got a minister unable to explain her eye-watering travel expenses.

“While Steven Miles and his ministers are living it up in the air, on the ground Queenslanders are struggling under Labor’s cost of living failures.”

LNP deputy leader Jarrod Bleijie said it was not “value for money”.

“To spend $126,000 to go overseas to deliver one speech is a complete waste of money in a cost of living crisis,” he said.

“The best thing Queenslanders can do is show Labor the door in 2024 and we’re hoping that we have the honour and privilege to serve Queenslanders so we can start to address some of these issues and challengers that Queensland is facing whether it’s housing, the cost of living crisis, the crime crisis or the health crisis we see across Queensland.”

Originally published as Leeanne Enoch defends flying business class on 10-day $125k taxpayer-funded trip